In the past, integrated circuits on a semiconductor were powered by the power signal(s) supplied to the die. For example, if 3.3 volts(V) was supplied to the die, the circuits on the die operated using 3.3V. Alternatively, if some circuits on the die operated using 5V and some operated using 3.3V, both 3.3V and 5V needed to be provided to the die.
Recently, supply power regulators have been included in integrated circuits to enable control of the power provided to an integrated circuit. For example, if a die is supplied with 5V, a supply power regulator can output a signal having a lower voltage (e.g., 3.3V). Thus, a single voltage supply may be provided to the die and multiple, lower supply voltages may be created using voltage regulators implemented on the die. Reducing the voltage can result in reducing power consumption and extended battery life in battery-powered devices. Additionally, portions of the die may be placed in a sleep mode when not in use so that those portions consume little or no power. One example supply power regulator technology is the SmartReflex™ technology from Texas Instruments, Inc.
An example integrated circuit 100 including a supply power regulator 102 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The example integrated circuit 100 includes the supply power regulator 102, a memory 104, and a processor 106. The example supply power regulator 102 receives a power input and provides an output power signal to the memory 104 and/or the processor 106. The supply power regulator 102 can control the output voltage, current, frequency, or any other characteristic of an output power signal. While the example integrated circuit 100 includes only the supply power regulator 102, the memory 104, and the processor 106, a supply power regulator may be used in a circuit having any number or type of components.
The example processor 106 executes instructions stored in the memory 104. In addition, the processor 106 can be controlled and/or instructions for execution can be provided by a processor control line. The memory 104 can be read and/or written-to via a read/write control line. The memory 104 of the illustrated example includes an on-board self-test process. The on-board self-test process instructs the processor 106 test part or all of the memory 104 to verify that the memory 104 is operating properly. The result of the on-board self-test process is stored in the memory 104, or output by the read/write control line.